In another world, Lu Mingfei is learning card making.

Although the goal is to "select the best of the best," most of the actors are students, and they often have a few friends who like to cause trouble. Therefore, Lu Mingfei doesn't actually have that many opponents to face.

—Well, at least in the Dragon Claw Club, he was the only one who ultimately resisted going to play with the other students.

"So who are you playing?" Asmon asked, while directing the elf to lift and move Lu Mingfei's chair. "I've noticed you've been sitting here stiffly... Is that part of the role-playing requirement?"

Lu Mingfei remained silent, only responding with a slight movement of his eyes beneath his silver mask.

The chair was moved to the front of all the long tables and rearranged. Asmon's eyes darted around, and he looked up at Lu Mingfei:

"If all else fails... could you give me a hint? I really can't figure it out."

Lu Mingfei's voice was low and strained, as if squeezed from the depths of his throat, carrying the weariness characteristic of someone recovering from a serious illness:

"I am Jerusalem."

……

Asmon left with an admiring look that seemed to say, "You have forty more heads than us," and returned to the crowd.

Lu Mingfei didn't pay any attention to him, his gaze wandering around before finally settling on Principal Cynthia and the group of teachers on the high platform.

The students playing other characters were quite enthusiastic, changing positions every now and then and even reciting classic quotes—but the character played by Lu Mingfei was seriously ill, which prevented him from moving his body like the others…

So all he could do was look around.

When people are unable to move, they often feel that time passes extremely quickly—at least Lu Mingfei felt this way now, as if time had been compressed into a single moment. Principal Cynthia stood up, raised her glass, said a few words, and then the teachers and guests participating in the ball walked down from the platform and into the group of students present.

Lu Mingfei's eyes flickered slightly as he locked onto the two unfamiliar faces he was meeting for the first time today—the prince and princess, who were the heirs to the current royal family.

Their clothing was quite similar, but the ornate patterns and prints made them appear somewhat out of place on stage. However, from Lu Mingfei's perspective, the two men had different attitudes towards the clothes:

Clearly, the princess thoroughly enjoyed the admiration and comments from the crowd regarding her attire, while the prince seemed quite uncomfortable.

The status of being an heir to the throne often doesn't mean much. Political power usually rises from the bottom up, and only by gaining the approval of those who actually exercise power can one truly inherit the royal title.

These two heirs, in a sense, represent two groups of people. Or, to be more precise, two groups who are "at odds" on this issue...

Lu Mingfei's thoughts were wandering wildly, but that didn't mean he completely stopped observing the outside world. He saw the prince's gaze sweep over the selected students, only to be drawn to his attire.

Well, okay, not only did his eyes light up, he even left the line on the platform and walked up to Lu Mingfei:

"I know who you're playing—the 'Leprosy King,' right?" He was quite agitated, and several times he tried to reach out and remove Lu Mingfei's silver mask, or to high-five Lu Mingfei's hand hidden in the silver glove, but then he withdrew his hand.

"The person who truly created the Holy Church, the first Pope, wore a crown of thorns that was initially considered the standard attire for the Pope, until the triple crown was introduced..."

After his initial excitement, the prince's eyes darted around, and he lowered his voice considerably: "Oh, Halloween costumes also involve acting, right? Could you act out that scene with me, the most classic scene from the Leper King's performance..."

...Huh? Really? You're a prince? You actually want to act in that scene?

Although Lu Mingfei didn't really care about nobles or royalty from another world, the problem now was that that scene was indeed somewhat...insulting.

Noticing Lu Mingfei's gaze, the prince nodded, even straightening his clothes and pulling out a crown from some spatial equipment, putting it on before looking at Lu Mingfei expectantly.

"Kneel down."

He finally spoke, his voice still weak and weary, like that of someone recovering from a serious illness, yet it possessed an immense authority that caused everyone else to fall silent and turn their gaze toward him:

Be more devout.

The prince knelt down with a thud, his expectation buried deep in his eyes, with only feigned fear remaining on his face.

"I am the King of Jerusalem."

The leper king lowered his eyes, raised his hand, grabbed his right glove, and ripped it off forcefully—

Beneath the gloves, a hand was revealed, faked to appear as if leprosy: dry skin, covered in scabs, and a large swelling near the wrist. Luo Tianyi's masterful makeup skills made this swelling almost identical to the appearance of a leprosy patient.

"As for you, Reinald—"

"We should pay our respects to the King."

The prince hastily grabbed the leper king's hand and kissed the sickly skin.

With a slight exertion of force, Lu Mingfei caused the prince to lean back in response, his fear vanishing almost instantly, leaving only a sense of satisfaction.

"Ah, the Leper King! I truly wish I could serve him, be at his beck and call... Although he has a reputation for being incorruptible in folklore, he doesn't actually wear a mask in his daily life. Is this your personal interpretation?"

After pondering for a moment on the ground, the prince stood up again, reaching out with great interest to touch Lu Mingfei's mask. "May I take it off?"

The answer was naturally yes, and Lu Mingfei even reached behind his head and removed the silver mask himself. The prince, his eyes full of anticipation, almost cried out when he saw the makeup and costume behind the mask:

"Oh! How so..."

He was momentarily speechless, unable to find a suitable adjective. Lu Mingfei raised an eyebrow inwardly, brimming with confidence—

Of course! He spent the whole morning just doing his makeup; if he couldn't do it well, why would he bother?

"Lu Mingfei, is there anything else you need? If not, I'd like to talk to you..." The prince extended his hand to him. Lu Mingfei shook his gloved hand, stood up, and followed him away weakly—of course, it was all an act.

The title "King of Leprosy" comes from the disease this king unfortunately suffered from: leprosy.

In terms of makeup and styling, Lu Mingfei did not make his facial features resemble those of the king, but instead chose to use makeup techniques to replicate the king's illness on his own body.

His facial features remained the same, except that his face was now covered with papules and redness caused by the disease, and lumps and ulcers had appeared on his earlobes and face.

Of course, in addition to these signs, there are some symptoms that need to be acted out, such as incomplete mouth closure, slightly crooked mouth corners, and claw-shaped hands, but these do not prevent people from recognizing him, so Lu Mingfei was not surprised at all when the prince called out his name immediately.